Hi Folks, I just received a new strap from the folks at Italia Guitar Straps and was pleased by the high quality materials & craftsmanship. Coupled with the excellent prices & great customer service I’ll be a customer for life! (Dan’s 1983 Gibson 335 Re-Issue Pictured) Read more »

Recently I’ve been experimenting with many different types of strings to find the right combination for my Ramirez 2CWE nylon string electric cutaway guitar. As a jazz player my technique on the nylon strings tends to produce squeaks on the wound basses. Since discovering that Savarez offers semi-polished basses & D’Addario carries a recording set, […] Read more »

Here’s a great video of a “Joe Pass” lesson from the 80’s. Lots of good material in this 1 hr video. Don’t try to remember everthing. Just focus on one aspect & try to incorporate it into your playing. (I can help during our next session) Enjoy! Dan Read more »

Check out this cool new site that features sheet music for many of the popular “Real Book” tunes plus sample recordings to accompany each chart. A great resource to get a feel for the tune you’re working on. Enjoy! The Real Book Website Read more »

Just updated the popular class “The Girl From Ipanema” by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The new version has improved Sound & Video plus several additional videos. Included are chord substitutions & alternate changes for several sections of the tune. Good stuff that you can use in many places on just about any standard tune! Here’s a […] Read more »

I play a Ramirez 2CWE Nylon String Jazz Guitar & use the Savarez Semi-Polished Basses that greatly reduce Squeaks & Noise! Buy the Bass Set separately since you don’t need to replace the trebles each time you replace the Basses. The agony of strings stretching on the gig is also greatly reduced! 4th. 5th. & […] Read more »

A few tips on How to reduce feedback from your Arch-Top Jazz Guitar: If you’re anything like me, sometimes you need to play with more volume or more presence in band situations. Often I’ll find myself playing in a Hammond Organ group & the B-3 player has a heavy foot on the expression pedal or […] Read more »

It’s hard to beat the tonal warmth of a good arch-top! The way they feel & resonate on the stage helps to strengthen the connection between player & instrument. But arch-tops are challenging instruments to amplify. Here’s the scoop from my experience of playing arch-tops for the last 40 + years. The amps I’ve listed […] Read more »

Here’s two of the 5 recurring Fingering patterns/shapes of the guitar. 5 shapes 3rd – 5th fret Master these shapes and your playing will improve dramatically! These 5 shapes or regions encompass all of the modes & are the key to soloing on the guitar. To learn more enroll in the online Course; Soloing Basics […] Read more »

A couple of useful IPAD apps that I’ve come across. If you have any additional recommendations please share! Dan 1. Amazing Slow Downer: Allows you to reduce the tempo of tunes in your song list without changing keys. (great for learning difficult lines or practicing at a slower tempo – Aebersold play-a-longs) 2. ForScore: You […] Read more »